The Artist
by TiKanis
Summary: A/U He was the artist and she was the model, his nude model. Falling in love wasn't part of the plan. M for nudity and mature scenes. SasukexSakura
1. A stranger's request

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I surely enjoy writing about these characters.

Summary: He was a highly paid and respected artist whose lost his inspiration...that is, until he found her. He offered to pay her for her time if she would model for him, naked. Suddenly the relationship moves beyond artist and model. He wanted her in every part of his life. He wanted to keep her forever, but did she want the same? And was his past going to catch up with and chase her away?

Rated M: For nudity and maturity

* * *

**The Artist **

By TiKanis

Chapter One  
A stranger's request

The nightclub was the last place he wanted to be in. Unfortunately, it was the only place opened at 2am. Normally, when he couldn't sleep, he would take a swim in a pool, or take a walk around the neighborhood, but it was raining and the pool had been closed off for its regular maintenance cleaning.

So he walked into the nightclub, pushed through the crowd of sweaty people, and sat in a booth, in the darkest corner of the club. He was pretty sure he was going to leave the club with a headache, not with tiredness. But what could he do? Staying in his apartment suffocated him more than being in the club.

He remembered a time when clubbing and drinking was all he did. That was back during his teenage and college years. At twenty-seven, he was a respected and highly paid artist, and one hundred percent sober for the past four years.

_Was_ being the keyword. He hadn't completed one piece of artwork in the past year. His inspiration was gone. His love for art was ripped out of his soul, just as was his heart when _she_ took the only thing he cared about most in the world.

The mere thought of her made his blood boil.

He didn't know what to do anymore nor where to go. He was alone and depressed. How was he going to get himself out of this darkness? He had no family, and no friends—true friends. His so called "friends" only hung out with him for his fame and money.

The great Sasuke Uchiha was nothing but an empty shell of a body, walking around, hopeless.

"Helloooo."

He felt a nudge on his shoulder and straightened up in his seat. "What?" he asked as he looked up at the girl that had a pen and notepad in hand.

"I've been standing here for a long ass time, trying to get your attention, now what do you want to drink?" the girl replied with a huff.

He couldn't make out her features that well in the darkened room, nor could he hear her well due to the loud techno music, but her eyes glistened in the dark, and they were marvelous.

He never met someone with such a color. They were green as emerald and sparkled like a diamond.

He watched as her arms crossed over her chest and her weight shifted to one leg. "Well, what is it going to be?"

"A coke," he finally answered, forgetting that she was there to take his order.

"A coke with….?" she waited for another response.

He cleared his throat. "Just a coke…actually just make it a bottle of water, the less caffeine, the better."

She waited for a moment longer to see if he would change his response. His dark look unnerved her. "Okay then, be right back."

He hadn't realized he had been at such unease until she walked away. He relaxed his body and hunched his shoulders. He found himself doing something he hadn't done in months—he was thinking of his next art piece. His mind roamed at different ways he would capture those eyes on paper. He would start off with a quick pencil sketch, but use acrylic paints to capture all the color, or maybe use the oil paints. But oil paints take long to dry with each layer, so acrylic would be better. But should he be able to take a picture of her, then he would take his time with the oil paints. A picture? Would she allow him to take a picture? He could explain it was for his artwork. She would understand, right?

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the bottle of water that was placed in front of him.

"You are one weird man, you know that right?" the gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Nevermind," she said. "The water's on the house."

He took his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill.

"I said it was on the house—as in it's free," she replied with a huff. She seemed to have a habit of huffing and getting annoyed fast.

"Nothings free in this world," he said, grabbing the water bottle and walking away.

He rushed out of the club and sped to his apartment down seven blocks. He had to get home before he lost his inspiration to pick up a brush and paint.

* * *

She watched him walk away, and kept watching until he was no longer in sight. "What a creep," she mused and picked up the money he had left. "What the fuck?" she gasped as she saw the amount written on the paper. Who on earth pays for water with a hundred dollar bill and not ask for change back? Did he expect her to keep 98 dollars as tip?

Jesus, what a night. She was tired as hell, and now she had to find a way to return the money back to the weirdo. There was no way she was keeping it. He might decide to come back and ask for "favors" as all the sleazy old men did.

He didn't look old, and he was far from looking sleazy. In fact, he looked way too proper. He was just weird.

* * *

Sasuke returned to the club the next night. He didn't know what he was looking for. Well, that was slightly incorrect. He knew what he wanted. He wanted the girl. How he went about getting her, he wasn't too sure yet.

How could he explain to her that she was the only inspiration he had found in the past year? That he had started painting her the moment he had arrived home last night? How could he explain to her that he would feel incomplete until he finished the painting and he could only finish it if he saw her again. Maybe she could model for him for a few days?

That was it! She could model for him.

Sasuke had a few models in the past who would sit while he painted them in any way he wanted. But those were just to explore his skills, not to actually put them up for exhibit.

He would love to put her paintings up in his museum for all to see and admire. He told himself to hold on. He was getting too far ahead of himself. Though even as he spoke, he envisioned it all in his head. The different ways he would paint her. The ways his brush would draw her every curve and illuminate her every color.

That was when the idea came to him. Each artist went through their stages in life. And Sasuke had gone through his happy, angst, sad, emotional stages through the years and he depicted those feelings through sculptures and sketches and paintings.

What he wanted to show now was his desire. That was what he felt the moment he had seen her eyes, only hadn't realized it until he was at home, painting her eyes the way he had remembered them.

He wanted to put her on paper, drawn in various media, in different lighting, and in different locations, with different emotions. He wanted her very soul to be captured by his art.

Most importantly, he wanted her naked. He didn't know where that idea came from but he knew that once the idea came to him, he had to go through with it, it was the only way he could continue painting.

The problem lied in getting her to agree. What if she said no? Then what will he do? Go back to sulking in his apartment, waiting for anther muse to stop by?Nowadays, it was difficult for anyone to find inspiration, especially when it's torn away from you so aggressively, leaving you soulless. So when you find it again, you do your best to keep it.

That was what he had to do, he had to convince her. He would pay her, that always worked. Money solved everything.

First he had to find her.

He walked around the club, aimlessly looking for her, but it was useless. He hadn't seen how she really looked like. He had only seen her eyes. And in this terribly lit club, it was impossible to find her. He sat in the same booth he had sat last night and waited for someone to approach him.

Minutes passed and a waitress stopped by. He had held his breath hoping it was her, but it wasn't. This girl was shorter, even with her heels on, and her eyes were brown.

He was tempted to ask the waitress if she was familiar with the green-eyed girl, but thought best not to. Instead, he asked for his water bottle, and waited.

Two hours passed, and he figured it was time to call it a night. Maybe she didn't work on Friday nights, or maybe she had already left, or maybe she quit, or maybe—okay he had to stop.

Dropping a twenty dollar bill on the table, he walked away. He pushed through the crowd and breathed in the cool night breeze with relief. He started walking down the road when someone called after him.

"Hey! You! Wait up!"

* * *

"Sakura!" the girl in question turned and glanced at her co-worker. "You're late!"

"You don't have to be so loud about it," she remarked at the brunette.

"Dude, there's some hot guy sitting in booth 22, and all he kept ordering was water. I must've given him four already. It's like he's waiting for somebody, but I have no idea who. It's real sketchy though. I tried to make conversation with him…you know, a little flirting here and there," she said with a wink. "And nothing! So finally I gave up and left him."

Sakura looked to the booth in question and saw a dark figure get up to leave. The same dark figure from last night. _What the hell is the weirdo doing here?_ she thought. She guessed that didn't really concern her, what mattered was that she owed him money and this might be her only chance to give it back to him.

"Hey cover me for a few," she requested.

"No way, you just got here—"

"Don't make me remind you of all the times I busted my butt for you," Sakura warned and the girl sighed.

"Fine."

Sakura rushed away, hoping to catch up to the guy. She thought she had lost him until she saw him walking about a block down southward.

"Hey! You! Wait up!" she called after him. The figure stopped and turned. For a second, Sakura contemplated whether or not it was really him, but then as she stepped closer, she recognized his spiky hair. Yeah, definitely him.

The guy looked surprised to see her, which in turn made her more curious about him. He was strange, but not the creepy kind, more like the mysterious kind. She met her share of creepy and he wasn't one of them.

"Um, hi," she said once she reached him. It looked like he was going to say something, but she quickly interjected. "So last night, you paid for the water, even after I said it was free," she raised her index finger to keep him from talking. "Let me finish—not only did you pay for it, but you seriously overpaid by like 98 dollars. So…" She looked down her overexposed cleavage and dug into her bra. "Sorry, the skirts they make us wear don't have any pockets," she apologized as she held out the rolled up money.

She watched him eye her, as if he finally was getting a good look at her. It made her feel uncomfortable. She's had plenty of guys at the club gawk at her and even dare slap her butt a few times, but his staring was a different kind. It was like he was memorizing her look.

"Just take it," she waved the money so he would get the point. He didn't respond, just kept staring. "Look, I don't know what game you're playing, or why you're looking at me as if you are undressing me—it's honestly awkward, and I'm definitely not the type of girl you leave this much of a tip and expect some sort of bonus favors back, okay? So just take the money and go home."

This time, she didn't wait for a response. She simply closed the distance between them, grabbed his hand and put the money in his hand. "Okay?" she asserted. With a last look she walked away.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't believe it. There she was, but a breath away and he was frozen. All he could do was stare at her and memorize her every feature, just in case she decided to turn him down. She had procelain skin, long pink hair, big green eyes, a plump pink mouth, long dark lashes, a slender neck and delicate shoulders. The red tank top exposed a lot of her medium sized breasts, and stopped at her navel. She had a flat, pale stomach. The black tight leather skirt barely covered half her thighs. She wore black heels, which helped her reach up to his nose; otherwise he was sure she would reach up to his shoulder, making her roughly 5 feet 6 inches, if he wasn't mistaken.

He was drinking all of her in at once and as fast as possible.

It wasn't until she touched his hand did he realize what she was saying to him. She was returning the money back to him. Well, that certainly was a first especially from a waitress.

She then preceded to walk away, leaving him with her image embedded in his mind and her soft touch.

"No, wait! Hey, wait," this time, he called after her, causing her to stop and twirl around.

She arched her brow in question. "Yeah?"

"I have a request—"

She threw up her hands and huffed. "Of course you do! You men all have some sort of request! But let me tell you Mr—whatever your name is, I don't play like that, okay? The other waitresses may be all fine and dandy about getting felt up at the bar for some extra tips and mess around in the parking lot, but not me, okay? So just cool it," she warned while jabbing her finger in his chest a few times.

"No, it's not what you think," he said after registering what she was implying, though to be honest, the idea crossed his mind once or twice during the night. But his art was more important than screwing around with her.

She huffed one more time, placing her hands on her hips. The girl sure did a lot of huffing and puffing. "Oh yeah? Then what is it?"

"I'm an artist—"

She laughed with clear sarcasm. "Yeah, and the last guy was a photographer and the guy before that was a prince from Aruba."

He narrowed his eyes at her. She was very distrustful, it seemed.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and what I need is a model. I will pay you a head of time, it's only for a few days," he countered.

It seemed like she was finally taking a good look at him, probably trying to make sure he wasn't some rapist trying to wheel her down a dark alley.

"Honestly, I'm not sure who that is, or if that really is you, I'm new to this city. All I know is there are plenty of other girls that will be more than willing to model for you," she replied and turned to walk away from him again.

He walked in step with her. "If you give me a moment, I'll explain why it has to be you," he pleaded. He hated begging, it was so below him, but he didn't want to lose her so easily.

"Alright, you have two minutes," she said with a sigh as she looked at her wrist watch. It was a feeble leather watch, probably not even worth ten dollars. She didn't have jewelry on either. He wondered what kind of life she lived. She returned his money without a moment's hesitation, so it clearly showed she wasn't money hungry. But then again, everyone hid their true intentions.

"I haven't painted one single thing in over a year, and then I saw you last night and I got my inspiration back to paint—but I want to paint you, only you. I know it must be hard to comprehend and I'm not very good at explaining it, other then telling you that if I don't start painting again, I may just lose it, and I can't let that happen. So here—" he paused, pulled out his wallet. He took out one of his gallery business cards and handed it to her. "You can find me there during most days, if not, just leave a message with the art coordinator there and they'll contact me."

She eyed him carefully. "You're dead serious about this?"

He nodded, "Hn."

"Okay, and let's say I believe all of this, and I agree. What kind of modeling am I doing?"

Damn, this was the tough part. But he might as well tell her now, save him future trouble and denial. "I would be painting you nude—"

He was cut off by her abrupt, nervous laugh. "Ha! You're insane, you know that right? Last night I thought you were just weird, and not too long ago I thought you might just be mysteriously confused stranger, but now I know you're completely insane!"

Sasuke was prepared for the reaction when he replied, "I will pay one thousand a day, for possibly a week, depending on how the first day goes."

"A th-thousand?" she stuttered, total shock on her face.

Money always was the answer, he knew.

He nodded.

She straightened her composure and brushed her hair behind her ears. "Thanks, Mr. Uchiha—if that in fact is your name, but I have to decline, I can't," she handed the card back, which he was reluctant to take back and walked away.

This time, he didn't stop her.

But damn, he wasn't pleased about it either.

* * *

She couldn't believe she was doing it. She was walking into Sharigan Museum of Art and was looking for him.

She had gone home that night, thought about his offer and she kept declining it in her head over and over. That was until two weeks later, when a guy felt the need to grope her in the club. She finally had enough of piece of shits like him. She needed money, and no one was going to hire a college dropout. She had loans to pay, hospital bills to pay, and the list went on. The tips were really good at the club, but she couldn't lower herself to such low standards anymore. She was better than that.

She received the best offer ever. One thousand dollars per day, for possibly a week. That was seven thousand, quick and easy money!

At what expense though? She would have to model nude for an artist. What if he got too touchy, and took advantage of her? For that very concern, she decided to do all the possible research she could on Sasuke Uchiha.

He was twenty-seven year old, highly paid artist that lived in the high end part of town. He had million dollar friends, and had charities in his name. He had his own museum that showcased various artist work, and most if not all proceeds went to charities of many kinds.

There were no police reports or bad news anywhere. What if he had them erased? He had plenty of money to hide any bad rep from the news.

If all she had to do was sit there, naked, while he painted, that shouldn't be too bad. She'd seen some movies where an artist requests to have a nude model, though in those situations, the model falls in love with the artist and they end up having sex, but the artist always has someone hiding, like a wife or a girlfriend.

Okay, she was over thinking it now. Those were just movies.

She walked through the museum, gazing at the artwork, none of which had his name on it. She wondered if he had his own personal showcasing somewhere.

Her old scruffy sneakers squeaked on the marble floor. She should've probably dressed a little better, she thought to herself as she saw the other people that were in there, all dressed in cocktail dresses and suits, where as she was in washed out baggy jeans and black tank top. Her hair up in a high ponytail and she didn't wear any makeup.

She didn't fit in with this crowd of people, and she most importantly didn't fit in with Sasuke Uchiha. What was she thinking? Was she really going to sit on a pedestal, naked, while he gawked at her for hours and painted? What if he didn't like her body? Gosh, she would be mortified if once she was naked in front of him, he would change his mind.

Just as she was turning to walk away from the sculpture showcase, and leave the museum all together, she heard his voice. Her heart beat increased.

* * *

Sasuke was leading a group of potential investors through the museum, showing them where the new sculpture showcase was being organized when he saw her, standing there, looking as if she were in deep thought.

He nearly laughed at how innocent she looked compared to her look at the club. Without all that makeup she looked so angelic. He felt a weird feeling develop at the pit of his stomach as she caught his gaze.

The investors continued talking amongst themselves as they pointed at various sculptures. He excused himself and walked toward her. He tried his best to hide his surprise in seeing her. He hadn't heard from her in two weeks, so he doubted she would ever contact him. He had gone back to brooding around his studio, trying to find some sort of inspiration, but nothing. It could only come from her.

And here she was, in his gallery, looking nothing like that vixen he had met in the club. He wondered which he preferred more. The angel or the devil? Maybe he could paint them both. He would enjoy that.

"It's nice to see you," he said in greeting, leaving a foot in distance between them.

She chuckled lowly, she was nervous, it was easy to tell. "I guess…well…I thought about it, your offer that is."

Sasuke didn't think the girl could be so hesitant, not after the way she spoke to him that night. So in control and demanding. Right now she was just a little girl. He wondered if he intimidated her by his physique.

He got his answer when she kept avoiding his eyes.

"And?" he inquired, fire already igniting within him. His mind was already spinning with ideas of how he wanted to start with her. First he would go with a few sketches, to get familiar with her body, then he would draw with charcoal to get used to how the light touched her body, and then he would paint her.

"I'll try it, then. One day only. And if that goes well, then we can try another, but I can't promise that I will be willing to do more than a day," she proposed, this time straightening up her composure to meet his gaze.

He outreached his hand toward her and she shook it in agreement. "Sounds like a deal to me," he said with a hint of a smile creeping at the edge of his lips. He hadn't smiled in so long, it felt weird that he wanted to smile now, but it never made it far past a small smirk.

"Right…okay then, I guess I'll go now," she said and walked past him.

He quickly took out another business card and jotted down his studio address. He quickened his pace to catch up with her. She was a fast walker. "Hey, here, I'll meet you tomorrow at six," he said and handed her the card.

She looked wearily at the card and questioned the timing. "You don't mean the morning, right?"

"Yes, six in the morning to six in the evening. That's twelve hours for a thousand. If you don't want to continue after that, that's fine. If you do, then we'll make better arrangements where it's a few days a week for a couple of hours, deal?"

Sakura simply nodded. "Fine…yeah, that's fine. Bye then." She walked away quickly.

* * *

She was in his studio. Damn, it was a big freaking studio. There were papers every where, from all sizes, not to mention all the canvases that lined the walls. There were many tables, randomly placed in the room, each had drawers, and in those drawers were tubes of paints of all colors and all brands. There were sharperners lying everywhere along with erasers and pencils and rulers. This guy practically had an art store in this room.

Sakura opened yet another cabinet, and was greeted with more paint. "This guy hoards paint," she mumbled.

"Not necessarily, I give away whatever I don't use every few weeks, and buy new ones as I go," the man in question said from his spot near the easel, which had a giant white, blank paper pad on it.

Sasuke sat on his wooden stool and let her look around his studio. He wanted to her be comfortable being here, especially being here with him. He let her go through every drawer and she had a remark for everything. A few times he had to keep himself from laughing at her expressions.

"Do you really need so many sharpeners? Just buy an electric one," she had said earlier when she had stepped onto one. She had kept her shoes by the door, preferring to walk barefoot. He had warned her she may step on a lot of stuff, especially lead, she didn't seem to care.

"Hand sharpeners seem to work better," he had replied and she had shrugged, seeing no difference.

"Well, it sure is a nifty place you got here," she summed up after going through the last of his cabinets. "I especially like the glass roof, but aren't you afraid the glass might break on top of you?" she inquired while staring up at the twenty-foot high ceiling.

"Not at all, I had it all replaced and the glass is pretty thick."

"Of course," she remarked. "And I'm sure you get great natural lighting from that ceiling."

He chuckled, "Indeed."

She wasted at least an hour going through all his things; and now came time for her to come to him.

She circled around him, walking in slow pace. He was wearing a white v-neck short sleeved shirt and black sweats with sneakers. Nothing fancy, yet she was sure those clothes cost him a few hundred dollars, compared to her own old Superman t-shirt and cut up jeans.

"So I suppose you want to start now."

"Whenever you're ready," he replied smoothly, his eyes on her at all times as she continued to circle around him.

"Right…so where do you want me?"

He pointed at the table in front of the easel.

"So you want me to just sit there or something?"

Sasuke sighed, not sure himself. If it were up to him, he would have her strip naked and lay down on a bed for him so could paint her with red satin sheets all around her. But he didn't want to scare her away so quickly.

"Let's just start with your clothes on, okay? I'll just do some sketches of your face."

"Okay!" she was pleased with the idea. She was afraid he would automatically have her undress herself. Even though she was here, in the studio with him, she was still holding back. She might decide that she couldn't do it after all. So starting off slowly worked for her.

She sat on the edge of the table, letting her legs swing back and forth and waited for him to give her some sort of direction, but he didn't.

She could see his shoulder and part of his face from behind the easle. She could tell he was already drawing. What if she kept changing facial expressions, would that ruin his sketch? If that caused any problems for him, he didn't say anything to make her stop.

Half an hour passed and she watched him flip through a number of pages. _Damn, either he's really good, or he was drawing stick figures of me_, she thought with a tad bit of amusement.

A few times during the next few hours, he asked her to look in a certain direction, or make a certain expression, sometimes he'd have her sit there with her eyes closed, which made her feel weird.

Around 10am, he told her she could take a break and provided her a sandwich, in which she happily accepted. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, nor did she realize that he was sketching her in a small sketchbook as she ate.

"Do you really need to do that now?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

He shrugged in response and continued drawing.

"Will I be able to see them—the drawings I mean, when we are done?"

Sasuke didn't raise his head as he spoke. "No, that's not part of the deal."

"Oh, so there are rules to the deal?" Well, that was news to her. She assumed she just had to sit there. She didn't think he had certain rules for her to abide by.

He nodded.

"What other rules do you have then?"

"No one else can paint you or photograph you, you're mine only," he replied, focused on his sketch of her mouth.

She laughed. "Oh please, as if I'd agree to do this with anyone else."

He put his pencil down and closed his book. "You'd be surprised how many offers you will get if someone finds out you are working for me under such circumstances. So I trust that you will keep to that rule from now on, even if you stay with me for just today, I don't want anyone else using you."

Sakura was taken back with how serious he was being. Had something similar happened to him before? Had someone stolen his artistic object or idea before? Well, either way, she had no plans in doing this with anyone. She just wanted to get through the day and get away from his roaming eyes. It was awkward having him stare at her for so long. She was pretty sure by now he had her faced memorized and embedded in his mind forever.

"Truly, I have no intentions of doing this with anyone, in anyway," she assured him and he nodded contently with her response.

And then came the moment of all truth and test of her courage. She had finished her lunch, and he had set up the easel with another white pad, this one a little smaller. She was able to see over it and meet his eyes, though she had no intention of looking at his piercing eyes. She knew what was coming, but didn't offer to do it without him asking first.

"I'll give you a chance to back out, if you wish. I'll pay you half for the time you were here," he said as he set up all different shades of lead pencil. "I do appreciate the time you've allowed me to draw you so far."

Sakura was stunned a little by his gentleness. For a man that looked dark and evil, he sure was nice. He walked to the table she had sat on and pushed it aside, replacing it with a stool similar to his. He returned to his stool behind the easel and she noticed that he was sketching her again.

She let out an uneasy sigh as she clenched her shirt in her hands and lifted it over her head, letting it fall to the floor.

* * *

Sasuke bit the bottom of his lip, not expecting her to actually go through with it. His hand dropped from the pad, pencil loosely in his hand as he watched her lift the blue shirt over her head, revealing a simple white bra.

Man, was this a mistake? He wondered, feeling his body react to her in a way he hadn't expected. He saw the light shade of blush appear on her cheeks as she took a seat on the stool, her back facing him. He watched as her hands reached behind her back and unclasped the hook. She slipped one hand through the strap, and then the other and let it fall to the floor near her shirt. She combed her hair to one side of her shoulder, exposing all of her creamy white back to him.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather continue on a slow pace with you," she said over her shoulder.

"Hn." He approved and fumbled with his pencil as he started with another sketch.

As he sketched the curve of back, he imagined running his hand down her back, tracing her every curve.

He knew he was in danger now. He didn't think he would have such thoughts about his model. Especially not on the first day. But she was different. She was honest and was straightforward. She said it like it was, and didn't hold back. She saw one painting he had left near the door and had said it was the ugliest thing she had ever seen. Many critics had said it was amazing, but he knew it was because no one wanted to displease him, he had a lot of money invested in many things. But she straight out told him it was a piece of shit and no way could be worth fifty grand.

He in turn had laughed and said it was worth fifty-one now, explaining that his artwork gained worth as he got older.

She laughed at that theory and remarked that she should've become an artist then. She was sure her stick figures would've been just as good as that black canvas with patches of red painted splattered on it.

He hadn't laughed so much in months, maybe years. But there he was, laughing at her smart remarks.

After tonight, he hoped she would remain with him. He was sure she would save him from his misery, he would bet his fortune on it.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Thanks for reading! Your thoughts are always welcomed!


	2. Day One

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I surely enjoy writing about these characters.

Summary: He was a highly paid and respected artist whose lost his inspiration...that is, until he found her. He offered to pay her for her time if she would model for him, naked. Suddenly the relationship moves beyond artist and model. He wanted her in every part of his life. He wanted to keep her forever, but did she want the same? And was his past going to catch up with and chase her away?

Rated M: For nudity and maturity

* * *

**The Artist **

By TiKanis

Chapter Two  
Day One

Sasuke sketched in quiet for an hour. It was a serene feeling to be able to draw again, to be able to feel alive again. He picked up the charcoal and smudged in the area around her shoulder blades, to show the dark shadows. He kept on with the technique for another brief moment, until all of her back was highlighted with shadows and lights. Suddenly, her body became three dimensional and realistic on the paper, almost as if he were really running his thumb against her shoulders, down her spine, around her hips.

The feelings were beyond his understanding. He never thought much of his models before. They posed for him, he sketched as he pleased, he paid them and they went home. Simple as that. He never had the urge to push aside the sketch pad and actually walk up to his model and touch her, until now. But he wouldn't dare do it. He didn't want to ruin the opportunity she had given him.

Besides, what if she had a boyfriend or something? That would even be more awkward. She would probably give him a black eye and storm out his studio. He nearly smirked at the thought of her hitting him. He didn't doubt for a second she wouldn't fight him. She was a tough one.

He wondered what life she lived. Did she have a family? Where did she live? What did she do on her spare time when she wasn't working at the club? Did she have another job? Who did she live with? It hit him then that he didn't know who she was and that he may never know anything about her other than have a vivid image of her naked body in his brain forever.

Sakura could feel his gaze on her back. It was so quiet in the room that she could actually hear the sound as his pencil touched the paper while he sketched. At times, she would hear a squeak sound which she supposed it was when he was smudging something with his finger.

She tried her best to remain still but the wooden stool wasn't comfortable. She had goosebumps on her skin from the chilly room. Should she ask him to close the windows? She looked down at her finger nails and sighed. She had chipped off all of her purple nail polish. She dusted off the dry nail polish from her lap, and watched as it fell onto the wooden floor like snowflakes.

She drummed her fingers on her knee, and leaned a little forward, no longer able to hold her straight posture.

"Are you married?" she asked, finally giving in and breaking the cold silence. It was maddening just talking to herself in her mind.

"No."

Thank god! How awkward would've it been if he were married? Would his wife have known? Would she have approved? "Then you must have a girlfriend…?"

"I don't."

Sakura let out a small chuckle as she turned her neck and glanced at him. He lifted his head up and met her gaze. "Don't tell me you're gay?" she remarked, biting her lower lip to keep from laughing. All this time she was worried for no reason. The guy was gay. No wonder he didn't make a move on her.

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat at the sight of her dazzling eyes and the way she bit her lower lip. Did she know how sensual her movements were?

"So then you have a boyfriend?"

Wait, what? He was so focused on her lips that he had forgotten she was inquiring after his gender preference.

"I'm not gay, Sakura," he responded with a stern look which caused her to quickly shy away.

"Oh…" She didn't know why she was blushing. She felt his piercing eyes on her back and sighed as she went back to drumming on her knees.

Sasuke frowned, her movement had disrupted his drawing. Now the light hit her body in different angles and the shadows changed. Deciding to not let that minor problem bother him, he improvised on the rest of the sketch.

Another half hour passed when suddenly she was off the stool, standing with her hands up in the air.

"I really need to stretch, my body aches from all that sitting."

Sasuke mumbled a silent curse as he watched her arch her back and sway her body one side to the next, stretching like a feline. Her baggy jeans gave her a tomboyish look, but there was definitely nothing "boyish" about her body underneath her clothes. She was one hundred percent all woman. A curvy, soft skinned, small framed, gorgeous—okay he had to stop.

He sighed. Her sudden movement had once again changed the highlights of the image he was drawing. "That's fine, I was done anyways," he said, trying to hide his growing irritation. "You can take a moment while I get some paints and then we can try a different position."

Sakura peered over her shoulder and watched him as he walked to the wooden cabinets at the far end of the room and rummaged through the tubes of paint. Damn, she actually had to do it? Up until now, she was slowly grasping at the idea of nude modeling. Having to sit with her naked backside to him was still okay. She had hoped he would be satisfied with that, but apparently that wasn't enough. He probably intended to get as many paintings done as possible today, in case she wouldn't come back. Which meant she would actually have to do it. She would have to sit quietly naked in front of him while he gawked at her and painted. It was terrifying.

She picked up her t-shirt and used it to cover her breasts as she walked to him. "Umm…you know…just out of curiosity, why does it have to be me again? I know you sort of tried to explain that night, but really…I'm sure you can find a professional nude model, right?"

Sasuke put the tubes of paint he wanted onto a wooden tray and then opened a drawer that held numerous brushes made of fine horse hair. He gave her a quick glance before returning his focus to picking the right brushes. The less he looked at her the better it was for his own sanity. The way she was holding the shirt over breasts made her look so tempting. Man, what was he thinking? He wasn't sure how long he could last with her like this.

"It has to be you," he responded with a shrug.

Sakura's hands went straight to her hips, a stance she took whenever someone annoyed her, but a terrible move to make. For a moment, she had forgotten about her physical appearance. Her eyes went to the shirt that had slipped onto the wooden floor. She felt her body temperature rise and her cheeks warm up. She quickly bent down to pick up her shirt, but wasn't fast enough. The blue shirt was already in the hands of the artist.

Sasuke was trying his best to not laugh at her. The poor girl had been so timid about showing him any part of her skin, and now there she was, by a small mistake on her part, half-naked in front of him. Her pale skin was in a pinkish tone, probably due to embarrassment he figured. Her small breasts were perked up and rosy. God damn. He threw the shirt over his shoulder, picked up the tray of paints and brushes he had gathered, and walked back to his easel, trying his best to pretend he wasn't at all fazed by her nakedness. But damn it all to hell—he was not going to get the image of her small, perked up breasts from his mind that easily.

"You need to relax, it's not like I haven't seen naked women before," he said to her as he started separating the brushes and lining them upon the table nearby his easel.

Sakura stood frozen in the same spot. He saw her naked and didn't even say or try anything. He walked by her as if it were the most ordinary thing ever. She recalled her college days when the boys would try anything to put their hands up her shirt. They were all immature idiots whom deserved all of her violent punches. Was this what it was like then? To be in presence of a mature, responsible adult? But then again, she met plenty of sleazy, older guys at the club who tried to fondle her. Maybe this was what only Sasuke Uchiha was like. Maybe he really was as passionate about his art as he claimed to be. Or maybe he didn't find her attractive or alluring enough to try and seduce? But was that a bad thing? It was probably better he didn't find her attractive at all, that way it would just be business. She would get paid for modeling for him and nothing more. Simple and clean business. Easy business. That's all she wanted. She could do this.

She was strong and opinions of others didn't bother her, especially his opinion.

Taking one deep breath, she unbuttoned her jeans. _I can do this_, she kept repeating in her mind as she let her jeans puddle around her feet. She stepped out of them and tugged at the hem of her black simple panties. Oh gosh…she was really going to do this? There would be no turning back if she did. She peered over to where the artist sat and watched as he started mixing two different colors of paint. He paid no mind to her. Of course, it was like he said, he had seen plenty of naked women before. He probably has had plenty of nude women model for him. This was nothing but another work day for him. _I can do this…_she repeated again. _This better be worth a thousand grand_, she told herself as she slipped out of her panties. She picked up her clothes and walked to the stool.

_Just pretend he's not in the room. Just pretend you are home alone, and are enjoying a day of sitting idly naked for no reason._ Her mind was a mess as she tried to calm herself down. She dropped her jeans nearby the stool and sat on it. She crossed her right leg over the other and combed her long hair to one side of her shoulder, which helped hide part of her breast. She didn't even bother looking over to the artist, too afraid to see his expression, but she knew he had already started painting. She let out a small, silent sigh, not believing what she was doing. _Only a few more hours_, she reminded herself.

There was not one curse that didn't come to his mind as he had sneakily eyed her as she had walked by him and sat on the chair. She had walked with such grace, her round bottom was perfect. Her slender hips and long legs were all a man could dream about. Holy fuck, he was screwed. How in damn blazes did he get himself in this position? Had he actually thought he would be able to get through a nude session like this so easily? Well, initially he had thought it would be simple, same routine like it was with other models. He didn't actually think he would like the girl, much less, like her so quickly. Not to mention all the unruly and sinful thoughts going through his mind.

He picked up the brush and dipped it into the paint he had mixed to match her skin tone. His gaze went to her still form. She sat on the stool now, giving him only a side profile of her body. Her leg was crossed over the other, and her hands were placed on her lap, all attempts to hide her sex, he assumed. Her hair was pushed to one side, hiding her breast from him. She stared blankly across the room.

He could tell, in her own way, she was trying to be courageous, and at the same time, she was still hiding from him. But it was fine. He wasn't some pervert who was getting off by asking her to be nude. He was an artist. He wanted to capture her every emotion with his art. By asking her to model nude, she couldn't hide herself behind her clothes. She was at her rawest form, and that's what he wanted to paint.

Stroke by stroke, he watched as her body was transformed onto his canvas. His tensed body finally started to be at ease as he focused his mind on getting that lonely girl to emerge on the white canvas. Because that's what she was. She was lonely, and he wondered why. He had been sketching people for half a lifetime which gave him the ability to read their body language and their facial expressions. He was never good with words, but he spoke to each individual through his art, letting them know that he truly understood them by expressing their feelings on paper for them.

An hour flew by without him even noticing, too focused on getting the shape of her legs correct, and then she moved. Goddammit.

She placed her hands on the back of the stool, arched her back, and tilted her head back. Her hair fell against her back and her breasts were perched up. She switched her legs, this time crossing her left over the right, giving him a small view of dark curls. She yawned and fixed her posture again. Her hands were back on her lap, but her hair remained against her back.

Sasuke ran a hand through his disheveled hair and grumbled. She ruined his nearly complete painting. She couldn't have waited another twenty minutes before moving? Not to mention she ruined his piece of mind, now he was back to thinking about her.

As if reading his thoughts, she finally spoke up.

"Sorry, but there's no way I could've stayed still a moment longer. My body started to ache and it needed to be stretched out."

"Hn." Sasuke could think of at least a dozen ways he could stretch her body for her. He quickly chased those thoughts away.

"Do models seriously sit for this long without moving?" she continued.

"Hn."

Sasuke glared at his painting. He now had to either start a new one, since her position was different and the lighting on her body had changed, or he had to improvise yet again. If he started a new one, he probably wouldn't have time to work on any more afterwards. And whose to say she wouldn't move again? He sighed, he had to improvise the best he could. He looked up and watched as she bit her lower lip again, a habit he started to notice the past hour. It seemed anytime she wanted to say something, but didn't, she would bite her lower lip, which would drive him insane. And it was still driving him insane.

"You're doing fine, don't worry," he said smoothly and watched as her body slowly started to ease down.

"Oh, okay, good," she replied. "I usually don't go around parading naked, as you know," she continued. "Well, I'm not parading around, I'm just sitting, but it's still the same, I guess."

Sasuke's irritation quickly evaporated as he listened to her soft voice. _She could get a lion to purr with that voice_, he thought, a bit lamely.

"You're like the second guy to actually ever see me naked, which is probably why I'm a little nervous I guess. And I tend to talk a lot, or to not talk at all, when I'm nervous, it just depends on whose making me nervous."

Sakura bit her bottom lip again. She tried to hold back her blabber, but couldn't. She had sat in silence for well over an hour which allowed her enough time to think about her past and her problems and it scared her. She couldn't stay still or in silence anymore. She still had a little more than three hours to go before her session ended and she could go home, but could she last that long?

Sasuke put his brush down and sighed. She was probably the most innocent person he had come by lately. He didn't want her to hate herself for modeling for him, and he didn't want her to regret any of it. To him, it was art, but to her, it was diminishing. Maybe asking her to stay for a whole day was too much. He didn't want to scare her away by being demanding or making her nervous in anyway. He really wanted to finish his painting, but from the way she was fidgeting, he had a feeling she already lost her wits and was ready to run away from him. He grabbed a white sheet of cloth that was neatly folded on the table nearby and covered his canvas.

Sakura watched from the corner of her eye as he walked towards her. Was he done painting? He was getting too close for her liking. It was one thing to be watched from a distant, it was another thing to be inches away from him, naked.

He stopped right in front of her, and she sat there, in the same position, not sure what to do. She made no attempt to cover herself, there was no point now, seeing that he already saw all parts of her.

He leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of her stool. His cool breath tickled her nose. _Oh my god, is he going to kiss me? _Her thoughts fumbled with the idea. His closeness was causing chaos in her mind. _He better not even try, or else._

"Am I making you nervous?" he murmured, his dark eyes piercing through hers.

_Hell fucking yeah you are, idiot_, she thought. She simply shrugged. If she were standing, she would back away, but she was sitting, so all she could do was remain still. She was exposed to him in every way possible, yet his eyes remained on her face.

What if he was thinking of kissing her, would she want that? Did she want that? No way, she didn't. Right? Her thoughts were too puzzling. She needed to put some clothes on. She needed to leave and be as far away from him as possible so she could think straight. She hadn't come here to think about him and his kisses, she had come here for a thousand dollars. He was making her feel weird, and she didn't know if that was a bad or good thing. She also felt vulnerable and, that for sure, she didn't like nor want to ever feel.

"Very well, let's go grab something to eat," he said in a cool tone and pulled away.

_That's it?_ she wondered. He wasn't even going to try something on her? Not even kiss her? Not that she wanted that to happen, but she was sure that any other man in his position would've attempted to kiss her or more. Yet he hadn't. He just turned his back to her and walked away. Was he sure he wasn't gay? Or maybe she really wasn't attractive enough? She was probably not his type. Which was fine with her.

She quickly slipped her clothes back on before he changed his mind.

Sasuke stood waiting by the metal door for her to finish dressing. He gave her some privacy, which enabled her to be calmer. She walked to him while playing with her hair. He wasn't sure what she was trying to do, but damn, she looked hot with her hair in hands and the way she walked to him. Eventually, her hair ended up in some dysfunctional bun on top of her head. He preferred her hair down, with his own fingers tangled within it. Okay, he seriously needed to quit thinking of her in such ways. This was business. Just Business. He knew only fools mixed business with pleasure. He definitely was no fool.

"Where do you want to go eat?" she asked with a solid smile.

"There's a restaurant done the street that has great pasta," he replied with some enthusiasm. Her smile stretched further, revealing a tiny dimple on the right side corner of her mouth.

"I love pasta," she said with an approving nod and led the way out the studio.

_This might actually be a good idea_, Sasuke thought to himself. It was one thing painting a likeness of her, it was another thing to actually spend time with her. Maybe this way, she would see that he meant her no harm. That his art was really important to him.

* * *

"Sakura," her name rolled over his lips as he watched her try and scoop the pasta with her fork.

She blinked a few times, trying to register how he knew her name. She had purposely never given it to him, in case he ever turned out to be a creepy stalker.

Noticing her confusion, he cleared his throat. "I—uh—well when you came to my museum, you had to sign the guest book, so that's why—I—uh—know your name. "

She nodded slowly for him to proceed. It felt weird sitting across from him, eating as if it were the most normal thing ever, when only twenty minutes ago she was stark naked in his studio.

"How old are you?" he asked. He wanted to try and get a conversation going, but wasn't a good conversationalist to begin with. Hopefully he didn't end up screwing this up with her.

Sakura raised one brow in question. Should she play along and attempt to be friendly to him? It's not like he'd done anything wrong up until now. He had been accommodating and respectful since the beginning. Fine then, she could pretend this was a new friend she met, despite the circumstances.

"I'm 22," she replied, "and you're 27," she added with a smug look.

Sasuke smirked. "Did research about me, huh?"

"Well, I had to. How was I supposed to know if you were really who you say you are, and whether or not you could be trusted?" She twirled the pasta with her fork, in thought.

"And do you trust me?" he inquired.

Sakura shrugged, avoiding eye contact his gaze.

"What else did you find out about me, other than my age?"

Sakura pretended to be in deep thought. "Well, let's see. You are a millionaire, you own your own museum, you have a ton of charities, and you sponsor a lot of emerging talent…and you drink a lot of water, but that last part is merely from observation."

"Ah, see, I guess I'm not that bad," he insisted as he leaned back into his chair. He took a sip of water, hiding his grin.

"Tsk. Unless you paid someone to hide any bad news or heinous crime," she retorted but quickly placed her hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry—I didn't mean—"

He chuckled darkly. "It's fine. We all have secrets Sakura. I'd just rather not have mine in the public eye." He watched as his statement brought out different expressions on her face. First was confusion and then it was worry. He probably shouldn't have said that. He wanted her to trust him. He knew he'd screw this up eventually. She was biting her lower lip in a way that brought images in his mind he didn't want—or rather shouldn't want.

"Yeah, I guess we all do have secrets," she whispered and put her fork down. She drummed her fingers on the table and peered out the window. The restaurant was dimly lit, so she was grateful for the refreshing light coming from the window. "Have you ever wished you could turn back time and fix the mistakes you've made?"

His eyes narrowed at her and saw the rawness of her emotions. Some tragedy had occurred in her life and she was left dealing with it alone.

"Everyday," he replied, recalling his own mistakes.

She turned to him and gave him a smile. He had seen her smiles before, this was one was a false one. It looked like she was retreating from him.

"I have to go," she said as she stood up. "I know I'm supposed to stay until six, and you probably didn't finish your painting, but I have to go, I'm sorry."

Sasuke quickly stood up and grabbed her arm. "Wait—I—" He didn't know what to say so with his free hand, he pulled out his wallet.

Sakura tugged her arm out his grasp. "Don't worry about it. I was a terrible model anyways. It was nice meeting you, take care." And with that said, she rushed out of the restaurant, not evening giving him a chance to speak. He tried to follow but was held back by the waiter demanding he pay the bill first. As soon as he was outside the building, he looked around for her. She was already out of sight.

"Damn it!" What had he done?

* * *

Dont worry...she'll be back ;P  
Thanks for reading! and thank you all for your support and wonderful review! Your thoughts are always welcomed!


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